• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.28 no.12
• /
• pp.1774-1783
• /
• 2015

Milk lysozyme is the ubiquitous enzyme in milk of mammals. In this study, the cDNA sequence of a new chicken-type (c-type) milk lysozyme gene (YML), was cloned from yak mammary gland tissue. A 444 bp open reading frames, which encodes 148 amino acids (16.54 kDa) with a signal peptide of 18 amino acids, was sequenced. Further analysis indicated that the nucleic acid and amino acid sequences identities between yak and cow milk lysozyme were 89.04% and 80.41%, respectively. Recombinant yak milk lysozyme (rYML) was produced by Escherichia coli BL21 and Pichia pastoris X33. The highest lysozyme activity was detected for heterologous protein rYML5 (M = 1,864.24 U/mg, SD = 25.75) which was expressed in P. pastoris with expression vector $pPICZ{\alpha}A$ and it clearly inhibited growth of Staphylococcus aureus. Result of the YML gene expression using quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that the YML gene was up-regulated to maximum at 30 day postpartum, that is, comparatively high YML can be found in initial milk production. The phylogenetic tree indicated that the amino acid sequence was similar to cow kidney lysozyme, which implied that the YML may have diverged from a different ancestor gene such as cow mammary glands. In our study, we suggest that YML be a new c-type lysozyme expressed in yak mammary glands that plays a role as host immunity.

• Ocean and Polar Research
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.607-615
• /
• 2003

Many organisms are known to survive in icy environments. These include both over wintering terrestrial insects and plants as well the marine fish inhabiting high latitudes. The adaptation of these organisms is both a fascinating and important topic in biology. Marine teleosts in particular, can encounter ice-laden seawater that is approximately $1^{\circ}C$ colder than the colligative freezing point of their body fluids. These animals produce a unique group of proteins, the antifreeze proteins (AFPs) or antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) that absorb the ice nuclei and prevent ice crystal growth. Presently, there are at least four different AFP types and one AFGP type that are isolated from a wide variety of fish. Despite their functional similarity, there is no apparent common protein homology or ice-binding motifs among these proteins, except that the surface-surface complementarity between the protein and ice are important for binding. The remarkable diversity of these proteins and their odd phylogenetic distribution would suggest that these proteins might have evolved recently in response to sea level glaciations just 1-2 million years ago in the northern hemisphere and 10-30 million years ago around Antarctica. Winter flounder, Pleuronectes americanus, has been used as a popular model to study the regulation of AFP gene expression. It has a built-in annual cycle of AFP expression controlled negatively by the growth hormone. The signal transduction pathways, transcription factors and promoter elements involved in this process have been studied in our laboratory and these studies will be presented.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.131-137
• /
• 2009

Plant defensins are small (5-10 kDa) basic peptides thought to be an important component of the defense pathway against fungal and/or bacterial pathogens. To understand the role of plant defensins in protecting plants against the brown planthopper, a type of insect herbivore, we isolated the Brassica rapa Defensin 1 (BrD1) gene and introduced it into rice (Oryza sativa L.) to produce stable transgenic plants. The BrD1 protein is homologous to other plant defensins and contains both an N-terminal endoplasmic reticulum signal sequence and a defensin domain, which are highly conserved in all plant defensins. Based on a phylogenetic analysis of the defensin domain of various plant defensins, we established that BrD1 belongs to a distinct subgroup of plant defensins. Relative to the wild type, transgenic rices expressing BrD1 exhibit strong resistance to brown planthopper nymphs and female adults. These results suggest that BrD1 exhibits insecticidal activity, and might be useful for developing cereal crop plants resistant to sap-sucking insects, such as the brown planthopper.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.315-325
• /
• 2016

A novel esterase gene, est7K, was isolated from a compost metagenomic library. The gene encoded a protein of 411 amino acids and the molecular mass of the Est7K was estimated to be 44,969 Da with no signal peptide. Est7K showed the highest identity of 57% to EstA3, which is an esterase from a drinking water metagenome, when compared with the enzymes with reported properties. Est7K had three motifs, SMTK, YSV, and WGG, which correspond to the typical motifs of family VIII esterases, SxxK, Yxx, and WGG, respectively. Est7K did not have the GxSxG motif in most lipolytic enzymes. Three additional motifs, LxxxPGxxW, PLGMxDTxF, and GGxG, were found to be conserved in family VIII enzymes. The results of the phylogenetic analysis and the alignment study suggest that family VIII enzymes could be classified into two subfamilies, VIII.1 and VIII.2. The purified Est7K was optimally active at 40ºC and pH 10.0. It was activated to exhibit a 2.1-fold higher activity by the presence of 30% methanol. It preferred short-length p-nitrophenyl esters, particularly p-nitrophenyl butyrate, and efficiently hydrolyzed glyceryl tributyrate. It did not hydrolyze β-lactamase substrates, tertiary alcohol esters, glyceryl trioleate, fish oil, and olive oil. Est7K preferred an S-enantiomer, such as (S)-methyl-3-hydroxy-2-methylpropionate, as the substrate. The tolerance to methanol and the substrate specificity may provide potential advantage in the use of the enzyme in pharmaceutical and other biotechnological processes.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.80-89
• /
• 2007

Two endogenous endo-${\beta}$-1,4-D-glucanase (EGase, EC 3.2.1.4) cDNAs were cloned from the midgut of the earthworm Eisenia anderi, and named EaEG2 and EaEG3, respectively. A sequence of 1,368 bp was determined and the coding region is composed of 456 amino acid residues including the initiation methionine. The N-terminal region of 20 residues in the deduced sequence was regarded as the signal peptide. These EGases belong to glycosyl hydrolase family 9 (GHF9) and showed high levels of identity(51-55%) with selected termite, cockroache, crayfish and mollusc EGases. The EGases of earthworm consist of three consensus catalytic domains found in most microbial cellulases. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using the deduced amino acid sequence data matched through the BLASTX program and showed that GHF9 families could be divided into five groups of arthropoda, bacteria, plant, annelida and mollusc.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.34-39
• /
• 2007

Penaeidins are members of a special family of antimicrobial peptides existing in several species of shrimp and play a crucial role in the immunological defense of shrimp. In this study, we isolated and characterized one EST clone (penaeidin) from cDNA library of fleshy prawn Fenneropenaeus chinensis hemocytes. Amino acids sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis with other known penaeidins revealed that our clone was completely identical to F. chinensis Penaeidin 3-2 (Accession no. ABC33920), which composed of 71 amino acids with a putative signal peptide (1-19) and a cysteine-rich domain (C-terminal part). The expression and distribution of Penaeidin 3-2 transcripts in shrimp were detected in hemocytes, hepatopancreas, and muscles, and that Penaeidin 3-2 was constitutively expressed mainly in hemocytes. The artificial infection of white spot syndrome virus to F. chinensis resulted in Penaeidin 3-2 mRNA up-regulation in hemocytes, suggesting that the possible role of Penaeidin 3-2 in host defense system of F. chinensis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.501-509
• /
• 2012

A 990 bp full-length gene (xynAHJ2) encoding a 329-residue polypeptide (XynAHJ2) with a calculated mass of 38.4 kDa was cloned from Bacillus sp. HJ2 harbored in a saline soil. XynAHJ2 showed no signal peptide, distinct amino acid stretches of glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 10 intracellular endoxylanases, and the highest amino acid sequence identity of 65.3% with the identified GH 10 intracellular mesophilic endoxylanase iM-KRICT PX1-Ps from Paenibacillus sp. HPL-001 (ACJ06666). The recombinant enzyme (rXynAHJ2) was expressed in Escherichia coli and displayed the typical characteristics of low-temperature-active enzyme (exhibiting optimum activity at $35^{\circ}C$, 62% at $20^{\circ}C$, and 38% at $10^{\circ}C$; thermolability at ${\geq}45^{\circ}C$). Compared with the reported GH 10 low-temperature-active endoxylanases, which are all extracellular, rXynAHJ2 showed low amino acid sequence identities (<45%), low homology (different phylogenetic cluster), and difference of structure (decreased amount of total accessible surface area and exposed nonpolar accessible surface area). Compared with the reported GH 10 intracellular endoxylanases, which are all mesophilic and thermophilic, rXynAHJ2 has decreased numbers of arginine residues and salt bridges, and showed resistance to $Ni^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$, or EDTA at 10 mM final concentration. The above mechanism of structural adaptation for low-temperature activity of intracellular endoxylanase rXynAHJ2 is different from that of GH 10 extracellular low-temperature-active endoxylanases. This is the first report of the molecular and biochemical characterizations of a novel intracellular low-temperature-active xylanase.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.555-562
• /
• 2012

PCR was performed to analyze the ${\beta}$-lactamase genes carried by ampicillin-resistant Vibrio spp. strains isolated from marine environments in Korea between 2006 and 2009. All 36 strains tested showed negative results in PCR with the primers designed from the nucleotide sequences of various known ${\beta}$-lactamase genes. This prompted us to screen new ${\beta}$-lactamase genes. A novel ${\beta}$-lactamase gene was cloned from Vibrio alginolyticus KV3 isolated from the aquaculture water of Geoje Island of Korea. The determined nucleotide sequence (VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase) revealed an open reading frame (ORF) of 852 bp, encoding a protein of 283 amino acids (aa), which displayed low homology to any other ${\beta}$-lactamase genes reported in public databases. The deduced 283 aa sequence of VAK-3, consisting of a 19 aa signal peptide and a 264 aa mature protein, contained highly conserved peptide segments specific to class A ${\beta}$-lactamases including the specific amino acid residues STFK (62-65), SDN (122-124), E (158), and RTG (226-228). Results from PCR performed with primers specific to the VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase gene identified 3 of the 36 isolated strains as V. alginolyticus, Vibrio cholerae, and Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae, indicating the utilization of various ${\beta}$-lactamase genes including unidentified ones in ampicillin-resistant Vibrio spp. strains from the marine environment. In a mating experiment, none of the isolates transfered the VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase gene to the Escherichia coli recipient. This lack of mobility, and the presence of a chromosomal acyl-CoA flanking sequence upstream of the VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase gene, led to the assumption that the location of this new ${\beta}$-lactamase gene was in the chromosome, rather than the mobile plasmid. Antibiotic susceptibility of VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase was indicated by elevated levels of resistance to penicillins, but not to cephalosporins in the wild type and E. coli harboring recombinant plasmid pKV-3, compared with those of the host strain alone. Phylogenetic analysis showed that VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase is a new and separate member of class A ${\beta}$-lactamases.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.145-153
• /
• 2007

Elucidation of the roles of circadian associated factors requires a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of circadian rhythms, control of flowering time through photoperiodic pathways, and photosensory signal transduction. In Arabidopsis, the APRR1 quintet, APRRs 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, are known as central oscillator genes. Other plants may share the molecular mechanism underlying the circadian rhythm. To identify and characterize these circadian response genes in Brassica crops whose genome was triplicated after divergence from Arabidopsis, we identified B. rapa BAC clones containing these genes by BLAST analysis of B. rapa BAC end sequences against the five corresponding Arabidopsis regions. Subsequent fingerprinting, Southern hybridization, and PCR allowed identification of five BAC clones, one for each of the five circadian-related genes. By draft shotgun sequencing of the BAC clones, we identified the complete gene sequences and cloned the five expressed B. rapa circadian-associated gene members, BrPRRs 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that each BrPRR was orthologous to the corresponding APRR at the sequence level. Northern hybridization revealed that the five genes were transcribed at distinct points in the 24 hour period, and Southern hybridization revealed that they are present in 2, 1, 2, 2, and 1 copies, respectively in the B. rapa genome, which was triplicated and then diploidized during the last 15 million years.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.109-113
• /
• 2006

Subcellular localization of a protein containing nuclear localization signals (NLS) has been well studied in many organisms ranging from invertebrates to vertebrates. However, no systematic analysis of NLS-containing proteins available from Mollusks has been reported. Here, we describe in silico screening of NLS-containing proteins using the mollusks database that contains 22,138 amino acids. To screen putative proteins with NLS-motif, we used both predict NLS and perl script. As a result, we have found 266 proteins containing NLS sequences which are about 1.2% out of the entire proteins. On the basis of KOG (The eukaryotic orthologous groups) analysis, we can't predict the precise functions of the NLS-containing proteins. However, we found out that these proteins belong to several types of proteins such as chromatin structure and dynamics, translation, ribosomal structure, biogenesis, and signal transduction mechanism. In addition, we have analysed these sequences based on the classes of mollusks. We could not find many from the species that are the main subjects of phylogenetic studies. In contrast, we noticed that cephalopods has the highest number of NLS-containing proteins. Thus, we have constructed mollusks NLS database and added these information and data to the mollusks database by constructing web interface. Taken together, these information will be very useful for those who are or will be studying NLS-containing proteins from mollusks.